Tinubu ends 6-month emergency rule in Rivers; Fubara to resume tomorrow

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday announced the end of emergency rule in Rivers State, directing suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly to resume their official duties on Thursday, September 18.

The emergency declaration, which lasted six months, was imposed in March 2025 following what the president described as “a total paralysis of governance” caused by an irreconcilable political crisis between the governor and the state legislature.

“It therefore gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with effect from midnight today,” Tinubu said in a statement released Wednesday.

The constitutional crisis that prompted the emergency declaration created a complete breakdown of governmental functions in the oil-rich state. Tinubu explained that the impasse made it impossible for Governor Fubara to present appropriation bills to the assembly, while security challenges, including vandalism of critical oil pipelines, escalated across the state.

“The serious constitutional impasse brought governance in the State to a standstill. Even the Supreme Court, in one of its judgments, held that there was no government in Rivers State,” the president stated.

Tinubu revealed that his attempts at mediation, along with efforts by “other well-meaning Nigerians,” failed as both sides remained entrenched in their positions, prioritising political rivalry over the state’s development needs.

Despite facing over 40 lawsuits challenging the emergency declaration, President Tinubu defended his decision as both constitutional and necessary to prevent complete governmental collapse in Rivers State.

“What needs to be said is that the power to declare a state of emergency is an inbuilt constitutional tool to address situations of actual or threatened breakdown of public order and public safety, which require extraordinary measures to return the State to peace, order and security,” he explained.

The president emphasised that failing to act would have constituted “a colossal failure” of his constitutional responsibilities as head of state.

Tinubu cited intelligence reports indicating that key stakeholders in Rivers State have demonstrated “a new spirit of understanding” and expressed readiness to return to democratic governance. This shift in attitude, he said, informed his decision to end the emergency rule precisely at the six-month mark initially announced.

“I therefore do not see why the state of emergency should exist a day longer than the six months I had pronounced at the beginning of it,” the president added.

The presidential directive requires all suspended officials to return to their duties immediately:

• Governor Siminalayi Fubara will resume executive functions
• Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu will return to her constitutional role
• Rivers State House of Assembly members and Speaker Martins Amaewhule will reconvene the legislature

President Tinubu used the Rivers crisis as a teaching moment for political leaders nationwide, emphasising the critical importance of cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of government.

“As a stakeholder in democratic governance, I believe that the need for a harmonious existence and relationship between the executive and the legislature is key to a successful government, whether at the state or national level,” he stated.

The president warned that citizens’ expectations of democratic dividends “will remain unrealizable in an atmosphere of violence, anarchy, and insecurity borne by misguided political activism and Machiavellian manipulations among the stakeholders.”

Tinubu acknowledged various groups that supported the emergency intervention, including the National Assembly for approving the proclamation, traditional rulers for their backing, and Rivers State residents for their patience during the unprecedented suspension of democratic governance.

The crisis in Rivers State, Nigeria’s oil-producing hub, had broader implications beyond governance paralysis. The vandalism of oil pipelines during the political unrest highlighted the economic costs of the constitutional impasse, affecting both state revenues and national oil production.

The restoration of normal governance is expected to stabilize the state’s economic activities and improve security conditions that had deteriorated during the political crisis.

As Rivers State prepares to resume normal democratic operations, the successful resolution of this constitutional crisis may serve as a precedent for managing similar political disputes in Nigeria’s federal system